to not tell my neighbour the secret ingredient

[Cailinsalach]

My old Dad loves treacle cake and asked me to make some for him. (I am a slave to my father's appetite).
I hadn't a clue how to make it so asked the next door neighbour who very kindly copied her recipe for me. When I saw it I noticed it was very similar to a recipe my Mum gave me when she was alive but with treacle. So I make my Mum's recipe, add treacle and Dad is happy.
So I gave the neighbour a bit one day and she raved about it.
Yesterday she confessed she is distraught trying to reproduce a treacle cake as nice as mine. She admits to having made dozens none of which comes close to mine. She thinks I use her recipe and I did not disabuse her of this notion. The main difference is (looks around nervously....) Olive oil....sssshhhh.
Am I very wrong to not tell her? Am I bad to want to hold on to my status as uncrowned queen of Treacle Cakes?
I feel I should take this secret to my grave.....

She gave you her recipe, but you won't give her yours? Seems a bit mean!

Share the love.

The woman is distraught. DISTRAUGHT I tell you. And you could end her pain with two little words. What kind of monster ARE you??

So you've just shared your secret with us, but won't with your neighbour who has tried many times unsuccessfully to make it? :(

Glad you're not my neighbour, you sound horribly smug! So you ask for her recipe, she willingly hands it over...you won't tell of your alteration....nice!!

You may indeed make the best cake but what use is that if you have no friends to appreciate it!

It's actually quite mean she was kind enough to help you when you needed it, and now you won't help her?

Can we have the rest of the recipe please?

You are awful... Can I have the recipe please? It's my absolute favourite!

Why can't she have the recipe?

Cos the OP wants to be Queen of Cakes. But she can't, because that's me!

Aw go on tell her. She was kind enough to help u out with the recipe

Agree with all of the above
Share
Be kind (that bit is cost free!)

Especially agree with wabbity...can we have the recipe? I can be 99.9% certain you're not my neighbour

I used to be a bit like you but then the light dawned. I am not, and never will be, Gordon bleedin' Ramsay or Nigella effin Lawson. My products will never be mass produced. I am not the inventer of KFC or Coca Cola and therefore I have no right to keep my successes 'secret'. Just pass it on. She'll be happy and you will feel better. Trust me - you will.

Aw that's mean. Tell her then post it here!

are you Colonel Sanders, OP?

Hang on a minute!!! Aren't you the poster who posted about their elderly father eating like a heavyweight boxer? Whose father WOULD TO GO TO THE NEIGHBOUR'S FOR CAKE?????

I think you should give us all the recipe - never had treacle cake; sounds fab!

Yes, please share :)

Bum. I was hoping you were the neighbour who was wanking in the bhajis.

how the jeremy fuckkitt do you wank into a bhaji?

Share, you can't have too much treacle tart in the world.

Using protection if they're heavy on the chilli?

Tell her to watch KungFu Panda

"there is no secret ingredient.....it's you"

maybe your neighbour is on here and they have read it!

How did we get from treacle cake to wanking in bhajis? what a waste of bhajis